Caught In The Web
by Kukasabe Swift
Summary: Stork's spider is loose, and the Storm Hawks are being attacked one by one. It's up to the King of Paranoia and his trusty sidekick to save the day! HIATUS!
1. Rock Music And Repairs

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**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: They sold comic adaptations of Storm Hawks.

Bad News: In 2009, where it was a limited edition. For those who didn't get a copy, you're doomed. (It also included the origins of the **Dark Ace**...!)

* * *

Stork slumped on the ship's steering system exasperatedly, gradually dropping onto the floor. The others were lying on the floor in the same deadbeat manner as Stork, completely exhausted. Their eyes begged to close and this time, Aerrow wasn't going to complain.

"Can everyone still move?" The young Sky Knight asked with concern. It had been a hard day.

"Just barely." answered Piper, who was wiping her forehead with her clammy hands.

"We finally… did it." huffed Finn, who was lying face-down with his limbs sticking out. "Spring cleaning…"

"… sucks." finished Junko, who attempted to stand up in a valiant effort, yet when his wobbly knees gave way he fell smack down on the floor. After a jaded grunt, he pulled his head up as tiny wooden brooms frolicked around his head in a daze. "I don't care what anybody says, just why did we have to throw out my special spoon collection?!"

"Because, _Junko_, nobody collects antique spoons anymore." Stork rolled his eyes, sarcasm evident in his dilated pupils. "Besides, we had to clean the Condor sometime. We couldn't just leave junk cluttered in her!"

"Stork's got a point, guys. Sometimes our stuff can end up being just useless things that we might never use at all." Aerrow was standing up despite the painful strain on his leg tendons. Piper soon followed suit along with Finn, but Junko remained on the floor as he tried to heave himself up. Soon, the wallop let out a tired sigh and stared at the ceiling. "Uh, I think I'll just stay here for now."

Stork stood up, observing the rest of his teammates. It was clear that the cleaning had taken a toll on them, so much that they felt dead exhausted like the time they baby-sat Tynki. But the Condor needed a good ol' shine, and Stork didn't want to be the only one who would do the hard work, even if it were for his beloved ship. He already had repairs and rock music to deal with.

"Hey, where's Radarr?" Finn asked, hand to forehead. "Did he hide somewhere or something?"

"Probably to avoid helping." Stork sourly remarked, checking the controls for any dust. Aerrow ignored Stork's statement and surveyed the entire deck for the blue creature. Nothing. As far as he was concerned, the only thing worthy of notice was the polished sparkles and sheens of the entire bridge. And Junko struggling to get up, of course. "Well, he isn't in here."

"Then he must be somewhere in our rooms." Piper dawdled towards one of the sliding doors. "He's just probably hiding. He couldn't have gone far."

Nodding in agreement, Aerrow walked over to his room, Piper to hers and Finn, well, to the floor. After staggering towards his room he had fallen down in defeat. "Man, I can't even _get_ to my room! And even if I did then I'd just sleep." His eyes trailed over to Stork, who was now sitting comfortably at the helm reading a new volume titled _1001 Terrible Afflictions and the Hopeless Means of Fighting Them 2_, something only the sadistic Merb would enjoy. "Hey Stork, can you check out my room for me? I can't move right now."

Stork scoffed in disdain. No way was he going to do a favor for him; after all, it was his music that drove him into reading the book in the first place. "Sorry, Finn, but right now I'm on the chapter of the spotted-cannibal-hooter-monkeys aaaaand it's just starting to get good."

"Come on, dude, my legs are practically going to fall off!" Finn whined, flashing his baby blue eyes at the rigid carrier pilot. Stork held onto his turf, now ignoring his pleas. "Did you know that a specific breed of maggot can only eat calcium, meaning that they can literally make your limbs fall off?"

Finn rolled his eyes. Something about Stork's fascination with the terrors of the world seemingly irked him as a cynical person. He knew that somewhere in his gut he felt that the creatures Stork would natter on for hours were almost false, like monsters in bedtime stories.

To be honest, he didn't have to check his room, but he knew Aerrow would want him to. Besides, he figured if Stork knew what his room now looked after all that vacuuming then maybe the Merb wouldn't come knocking on his door complaining about the suspicious smell wafting from the marksman's quarters.

Groveling on his knees would accomplish nothing, and threatening the very person who kept his very own vampire spider would be suicidal in a package, so instead he decided to bargain.

"Alright, you forced it outta me! I promise," Finn humbly proposed, "to _not_ play my music near you."

This caught Stork's attention. Finn's music not playing near him meant total, blissful silence to enjoy his space, with an added bonus too. It meant no rock music _on_ the bridge. Ever.

"Deal."

"Sweet!" Finn grinned as a sighing Stork snapped his book shut and began ambling towards the sharpshooter's room. Seeing his gleeful face made Stork regret not adding any other negotiations to the deal. It would've been fair if he managed to do so, seeing how Finn found a loophole in their agreement. He said he wouldn't play his music near him, but that didn't stop him from playing it with the amps on in his room.

"Can you check my room too, Stork?" asked Junko, who was still flat on the floor. But Stork had already disappeared behind the sliding doors, muttering under his breath.

_**...**_

Stork sauntered in his cautious gait as his head ducked low beneath his shoulders. He passed Finn's room, but only because he needed to feed his spider, specifically his new scarlet-maw-vampire-fang arachnoid, another deadly species that Stork had bought. After the incident with Carver, Stork prized himself with his new pet, but soon lost it at that time when the pilot collided with a Cyclonian battle cruiser in a team effort to save Radarr. Disappointed, he purchased another pet, which was another species of the scarlet-maw-fanged arachnids._**  
**_

Unfortunately, he didn't have a glass cage to contain it since it broke, so he used a crate instead. The squad questioned its stability, but Stork said he had secured it with nails and duct tape, which left Aerrow unconvinced despite Stork's surety.

As he entered his room, he reached for the can of live mountain-hopping crickets which he caught himself. Scarlet-maw-vampire-fang arachnids like their prey alive so they could suck out its blood, hence the name. Stork shook the can with a grin as he walked over to the table where the crate was. "Time for lunch, Delilah!"

But when his gaze left the can and shifted towards the crate, he gasped in horror. The crate was open, its lid on the floor, the duct tape coiled around it severed. It could only mean one thing.

"She's esCAPED!"

His head swiveled right and left, his body frantically searching under his bed. He didn't have much in his room, so he knew the arachnoid couldn't have hidden anywhere in there. He exhaled short breaths of panic, his head popping out of his room. "This means heinous doom for us all if we don't find her, or _worse_!"

But his thoughts were interrupted by another scream, which surprisingly erupted from Finn's room. Stork wondered if Delilah had taken refuge in the marksman's room mainly because it was so messy.

As it turned out, it wasn't his spider that was freaking Piper out, neither was the aforementioned mess, but it was much worse.

It was Radarr, standing on two legs. He was as lifeless as an action figure, a transparent purple hue encasing his furry body.

Oh, no.

* * *

Side-note: Was my opening line good? I'm bad at introducing stories t.T But anyway, thanks for giving up some time to read though =D

Reviews would be nice, they're like the sesame seeds on garlic bread. Each and every one contributes to the bread, even if they are optional!


	2. That's Scary

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**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: We finished cleaning the Condor!

Bad News: My scarlet-maw-vampire-fanged arachnoid -AKA Delilah- has **escaped**!

* * *

"Delilah?" Junko looked dumbfounded.

Finn furrowed his eyebrows. "Dude, what kind of name is Delilah?!"

Stork flinched at his sudden outburst. "_That's_ not important right now! What's important is that she's _out_ of her cage and will most likely find new victims to suck their blood on!"

"Calm down, Stork." Piper attempted to reassure him. "I'm sure it-"

"-she." Stork interjected.

"… Okay. I'm sure _she_ is probably just lurking in the kitchen for food. Come on, she's just a spider!"

"Not just a spider." Stork raised a finger as his black bang hung between his eyes. "She's a scarlet-maw-_vampire_-fang arachnoid, a deadly cousin of the more common scarlet-maw-_razor_-fang arachnoid." His left eye twitched. "They don't just put the emphasis on '_vampire_' for nothing."

Meanwhile, Aerrow kneeled beside Radarr, an anxious expression on his face. The blue creature still retained his expression of fear, all petrified beneath that purple coat. He knew that Stork's spider-_Delilah_, as she was known- had done this to Radarr, and the Sky Knight was just hoping for a way to get his co-pilot back.

"Stork, is there any way to get Radarr back?" he asked the Merb as he stood up. Stork nodded, his head sinking below his shoulders. "Luckily, there is. Scarlet-maw-vampire-fang arachnoids live on a steady supply of blood, so they don't take huge gulps. Usually when they bite, the host can expect a little paralysis from the venom it releases _but _it wears off after a couple of hours."

"But how can a bite so small affect all of Radarr's body?" Piper questioned with a tone of curiosity. Stork faced her and began yammering. "Oh, there's an explanation. If the scarlet-maw-vampire-fang arachnoid has bitten you for more than, say, three seconds then it'll release some of its venom to paralyze some of your limbs." He glanced at Radarr. "In Radarr's case, his whole body."

"That's scary." Junko pouted.

"What's with the purple stuff around him?" Finn bluntly asked.

"That's Delilah's idea of a territorial web." Stork answered. "But, no need to worry! The venom is harmless. We just need to place him somewhere where she won't feed on him again."

"That's good news." Aerrow sighed in relief. He had a plan in mind, although he knew the others wouldn't be too happy after all the backbreaking work on the Condor. "Alright, guys. We need to catch Delilah and before any of us are targeted. Everybody split up and search each section of the ship. Stork, do you have anything capable of catching it- I mean, her?"

Stork grinned, rubbing his hands together. "I happen to have a crate for it."

_**...**_

The Merb returned from the storage area where they kept all the extra stuff and spare parts at bay. It was also a place where Stork stocked all his emergency and first-aid crates. After Stork had rummaged around, he soon found his prize.

"Here it is! My scarlet-maw-fanged arachnid emergency kit. Perfect for sudden infestations of the said species." He opened the wooden lid as it creaked, revealing various items that weren't very self-explanatory. "Feel free to get anything you want. I should warn you though, these have been in here for a long time." His pale yellow eye twitched. "I might want to watch out for woodworms."

"Uh, thanks Stork, but I'll stick to my energy blades." Aerrow assured him.

"And I'll stick to my crystals." Piper grinned as she pulled out a green slimer crystal from her pocket. "This should do the trick of trapping it- I mean, _her_."

"Oh. That's fine." Stork turned to his crate as Finn and Junko grabbed a bunch of gadgets, wondering what the heck they were. Piper slipped the crystal back into her pocket, noticing the grave expression of her leader. "Aerrow, you alright?"

"Huh?" The young Sky Knight wasn't paying attention to her. "Oh, yeah, I am. I just need a moment to, uh... get my blades!" And with that he left the room, leaving the crystal specialist worried.

"This is cool!" Finn pulled out a round, metallic ball which had the words 'CRITTER NET' written on it with marker. "Hey Stork! What's this do?"

Stork didn't hear him as he was busy pulling up a his inflatable ducky floater to his waist, not bothering to second-guess his choice of attire if the arachnoid happened to crawl up his leg. Before he could slip on his goggles, Finn suddenly appeared behind him. "Hey, what's this do?"

Annoyed, Stork rolled his eyes and snatched the ball off him. "_This_ is meant to be thrown at suspicious-looking creatures who need to be trapped. What you do is you throw it somewhere," the Merb raised his arm, proceeding to throw the ball behind him without so much as a glance, "and it automatically releases a giant, metal net that will thwart all attempts of escaping!"

"Uh, dude..." Finn signaled him to look behind. The net Stork fired had drooped on top of the petrified Radarr, who almost toppled over. Since Radarr needed a place to recover Aerrow opted Stork's room since it was safe due to the pilot's contraptions and booby traps guarding the room. Also, Stork had hard-wired his sliding doors so that it wouldn't willingly open, meaning it could be locked.

Stork scratched his head awkwardly, realizing the marksman's point. "Well, I guess Radarr could be classified as a suspicious-looking creature anyway."

"They actually work! I'm taking some!" Finn rushed back to the crate, taking a hold of random things that looked deceivingly innocent. Stork continued to dress up for the mission, wishing that he had hit Finn instead of Radarr. But then he decided that now was not the time to carry regrets, and he tried to think of something else. It was when the thought clicked, like a green traffic light.

How _did_ Delilah get out of her crate? Did someone accidentally open it? Stork shook his head. Everybody knew better than to open anything inside Stork's room, let alone to walk in unexpectedly. Besides, they all knew about the deadly arachnoid... did they?

_**...**_

"Aerrow?" Piper walked inside his room, her expression solemn for her leader. Aerrow was sitting on his bed, hands jointly clamped on each other. She noticed worry scrawled all over his face. "Are you okay?"

"Huh? Oh, I'm fine Piper." Aerrow smiled warmly in an effort to assure her. "I've just been uneasy about Radarr. He looked so... scared."

"Stork said that the paralysis would wear off. It's nothing to be worried about." Piper sat beside him, her words seemingly comforting. The young Sky Knight faced her. He was glad that Piper was the one that saw the positives in even the worst situations, a stark contrast to Stork who always saw the _worst_ in even the most positive of situations. "Yeah, I guess you're right. Besides, it's just a spider. How hard could it be?"

"AAAHHH!" The shriek startled both Aerrow and Piper, who immediately rushed towards the source of the commotion. The scream belonged to Junko who was shivering in fear atop the ship's toilet bowl (with the bidet shut, of course. It was a biggie). "Junko, what's wrong?"

The wallop pointed with his meaty finger trembling. "I-I saw it over t-there!"

Aerrow furrowed his eyebrows. It was time for some critter-hunting. "Alright guys, it's showtime! Everybody got their gear?"

Finn's head popped out of the Merb's room, looking as though a buffet had been bestowed in front of him. "We're ready dude!"

Piper chuckled, shoving her hands in her pockets to pull out her slimer crystal. "Well, I'm set!"

Junko cautiously stepped down from the toilet bowl only to slip due to the excessive polishing done during the spring cleaning. He landed on the floor with his butt as a hardy cushion. "Uh, yeah, I'm ready too... I guess!"

"Stork, is your room secure?" Aerrow glanced at the wary Merb stepping out of his quarters. He was fully dressed with the armor that made the others question his sense of danger- or rather, his sense of fashion. "Yeah, man, I'm good, I'm good. Nothing to worry about. Well, except for impending doom."

"Great. Everybody know where they're splitting up too?" The Sky Knight received four thumbs up. "Okay, let's go!"

"Wait!" Stork suddenly halted them. He wanted to ask them if they saw anyone sneak into his room and open the crate, or at least to tell them about his theory in why the spider escaped. But seeing the look on their faces determined to get this whole folly done and over with made him stop in his tracks. It would have to wait.

"Nothing, just... _don't_ hurt her."

* * *

Side-note: I never planned the story out in the first place. I always go on a whim, which seems to work. Then again, I have a vague idea of what I want o.0

Reviews would be nice, they're like the sesame seeds on garlic bread. Each and every one contributes to the bread, even if they are optional!

P.S Junko did use toilet paper.


	3. Doom Chose Her

.:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:.**  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: Radarr can live.

Bad News: Delilah is still out there... and it's already night...

* * *

The team decided to search the spider at the most probable sections of the ship; Aerrow patrolling at the corridors, Junko in the engine room, Piper in the kitchen, Finn at the hangar bay and Stork at the bridge. The pilot had told them that the arachnoids hated bright light and would often hide at the mere sight of it, so he recommended the lights to be on. It was better to corner it under a bed instead of being mauled in the dark- which Stork pointed out could be a fitting demise.

As Stork peered under the aerial instruments with caution, it was clear that Delilah couldn't be on the bridge. Maybe she was in the kitchen like Piper suggested, although the arachnoid would only feed upon blood. As far as he was concerned the only digestible food in the pantry were Piper's sandcakes.

He began pondering about Delilah's escape again. If nobody had opened the crate then that could only mean Delilah had busted her way out herself.

But how? Scarlet-maw-vampire-fanged arachnoids don't just muster up that kind strength unless they've drank a huge amount of blood…

This led Stork to ponder even more. Where could've that blood come from? He had been feeding her at least six mountain-hopping crickets a day, enough to sustain her appetite, but not enough to suddenly turn her into a heavy-duty monster.

He dismissed the idea to the corners of his mind, figuring that the present was much more important right now.

_**...**_

Piper opened the fridge. An awful scream erupted from inside, giving Piper a colossal fright. She shielded herself with her hands as she fell down onto the floor. Fearing the worst, she snatched a slimer crystal from her pocket and readied herself for the impending spider. But nothing came out, which made Piper wonder if it- I mean, _she_- was frozen due to the cold temperature inside the refrigerator.

It turned out to be last night's leftovers, specially cooked by Junko. It wasn't actually classified as leftovers, mainly because everybody except Junko had a terrible excuse not to eat it, and so the whole potful of food was still there- and alive. Whatever it was, it had a really bad cold.

"Well, I searched everywhere, even in the sandcake tin." Piper sounded disappointed. "I guess I have to keep a lookout from now on."

A pot rattled to Piper's left. The crystal mage briskly turned to her side, clutching the green crystal with determination. "Huh. So you _were_ here. Go figure."

The 'pot' was now scuttling towards the stove, the spider inside it seemingly unaware of its surroundings. Piper tiptoed with discreet footsteps, her arm aiming for it. After it stopped moving, she threw the crystal at it. But somehow she missed, the spider dodging in time with a speedy leap after hearing the air whistle from the crystal's momentum. It landed on the stove, now aware of the danger threatening it.

Piper knew that things would have to be taken drastically and, praying that Stork wouldn't notice any burn marks on his dear Delilah, she reached for the stove dial and turn it to the highest degree. The stove ferociously lit with blue flames which scorched the spider's underbelly, causing it to screech in pain. The arachnoid eagerly hopped out of the burning stove as the pot lay stranded on the counter-top, leaving Delilah fully exposed to light.

More screeching. The spider hid again as Piper took a minute to crank the stove dial off. Precaution was her biggest principle when handling dangerous items, much like her UPCHUC routine with crystals. She turned to the table and took another slimer crystal from her bag of holding. "I've got you now!"

An electrical fizz crackled above her as the lights flickered, finally shutting off. Piper looked up to the ceiling with concern. "Uh oh."

The dark inclined the spider to crawl from its shady shelter, inviting it to the open. Piper heard the voracious hiss to her right as she cautiously inched towards the sliding doors. She had a plan, as usual. With her other hand she grabbed her flash crystal from her bag and looked around for the sneaky arachnoid. She heard another hiss, this time to her left. Pots and pans clanked on the floor.

The hiss turned into a growl. Piper gritted her teeth as she thrust the flash crystal forwards, a sudden flare of orange light blinding the arachnoid for a second. The crystal mage heard the sliding doors behind her open and, after briskly throwing the flash crystal behind her, she grabbed an eruption crystal with her available hand. She knew what the outcome would be if she used a slimer with an eruption, but in that split second she threw both at Delilah.

It was too late. Delilah had heard the air whistle from the crystals' momentum and dodged it, making way to an unsuspecting Piper.

_**...**_

"Hmm?" Stork looked above him. The lights were flickering, finally fading off with a crackle. The whole bridge turned still and dim. He whimpered as he hopped on the safety railing with fear. "This is bad, this is _really_ bad. We now have a 100% chance of an eight-legged ambush!"

There was the sound of crashing coming from outside the bridge. Stork sharply turned to the door, his expectations proving to be expected. After reluctantly stepping down from the railing, he cautiously went into the corridors. It turned out that the entire ship had been robbed of illumination as the corridors appeared menacingly dark. Stork was relieved that he had his night-vision goggles at his disposal.

Now that he could see, Stork wondered where the crashing came from. He figured it was Junko, who had probably tripped over and collided with the engine pipes and was now sending the whole ship into the Wastelands. "Come on, my little beaut, I'm ready for ya." He snickered in a dark, pseudo-evil fashion.

Something suddenly clattered on the floor with a 'clink', which resonated throughout the hallway. Stork blinked. That 'clink' was a crystal, and only Piper would have a crystal.

"Yep. Heinous doom."

He found himself standing before the kitchen doors, where Piper's orange flash crystal was humming faintly on the floor. "This is not good..." Readying his critter net bombs, he stepped in front the doors as they automatically opened.

But it turned out that he didn't have to go inside to find Piper, because waiting for him on the other side was a paralyzed crystal mage driven backwards on one leg. She had her back to him, her skin covered with the spider's hard, purple web. Stork noticed a large, green goop of slime splattered on the floor, which he guessed to be Piper's attempt in ensnaring Delilah with her slimer + eruption crystal combo. The crystal expert failed though, since there was no spider trapped in the jelly-like substance.

"Um, guys?" The helmsman called to his team, poking Piper's cheek. It was solid as ice. "You better come here...!"

"What's wrong?" Aerrow appeared behind Stork upon seeing him in the hallway. As he shifted his gaze to Piper's petrified body, he gasped in horror. "Doom chose her." Stork sighed in a melancholic tone. Aerrow flashed a remorseful expression at the pilot. _She has the same scared look on her face..._ "I shouldn't have sent her alone."

"Well, seeing as how she's able to stand on one leg I'd say there's a hefty amount of venom in her." Stork observed, trying his best to reassure his leader. "She'll be in action again in six hours, more or less. Right now I suggest we take her to my room."

A scream bellowed throughout the corridor, sounding as though it came from the lower section of the ship. Aerrow's ears perked, realizing that it was probably Junko. "Stork, get Piper to safety!" As he drew out his twin energy blades he dashed away, determined not to lose another one of his squad.

"Um, okay, shouldn't be _too_ hard." As he turned to the crystal mage he realized that he spoke too soon. With Piper bending rearward on one leg, Stork couldn't push her. Dragging her would cause imbalance, so the only option was to _carry_ her.

While carrying Piper on and off, Stork wished she had chosen a better position to express her fear and utter horror. As for the carrier's lights, Stork wondered if Delilah had found her way to the circuit boards. Junko must've encountered her since the circuit boards were situated near the engine room. He had already tried the usual light switches. Nothing.

"At this rate we're all going to be dinner." Stork deadpanned, finally arriving at his quarters. He found two wires at the outer rim of the sliding doors and, after placing Piper to one side, connected the wires together for a brief moment. The wires fizzed and sparked, opening the sliding doors. Impressed with his own work he walked inside before realizing that he forgot Piper. He grabbed her inside before the doors shut with a clank.

He was disgusted with the mess Finn and Junko left. Various items were scattered on the floor in a haphazard fashion, and the crate was empty. With a grunt, Stork heaved Piper near Radarr. The Merb quite liked the sight of them since they resembled statues that depicted their untimely demise. Sadistic as he is, Stork couldn't help but reach for his camera.

"Oh, now_ this_ is priceless."

* * *

Side-note: This kind of reminds me of Blair Witch in which they are attacked one by one, not with the whole camera-first-person-POV-thing. But don't worry, nothing that horrific will happen here... I think.

Reviews would be good, they're like the raisins on raisin toast. Each and every one contributes to the toast, even if they are optional!


	4. Where Things Go Weird

.:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:.**  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: We know Delilah is on the ship (and hungry).

Bad News: Piper's been attacked, and it seems Junko is the newest victim...

* * *

Junko opened the door to the engine core where the blue crystal array was displayed. After inspecting the area, he deemed it to be clear. He then stepped outside to the engine room where angled pipes surrounded him at every corner, silently humming. The Condor wasn't travelling in the air as far as Junko was concerned. Stork had deployed the grappling hooks just so they could find Delilah, but the pilot didn't specify the terra they had arrived at.

The wallop sighed. "Gee, I wonder how the others are doing. I haven't found Delilah yet…" His stomach rumbled, begging him for a morsel of last night's leftovers. "I'm sorry, but I've gotta keep watch."

There was a creak behind him. Junko turned and saw one of the pipes split into half, steam wafting out of it. Quickly, he pushed the two tubes together and made sure they were secure.

"The ship's not in any danger, is it?" He wondered why it had broken all of a sudden. His answer would come in a minute, as a threatening hiss came from another set of pipes. Junko froze, fear etched on his face. He saw the spider's shadow plastered on the metal walls, almost invisible due to the fact that the lights were on.

He clutched tightly on a critter bomb as his knees wobbled. The spider now scampered among the many conduits, waiting for an opening. Junko followed the sound of its legs as his hand trembled. He had it cornered. As long as the light was on, Delilah wouldn't attack him.

That turned out to be a bad notion. The spider snarled, leaping towards him with its scarlet mouth. Junko instinctively threw the critter net bomb at it, but it was too late. The arachnoid clung onto his face and Junko felt its cuspid piercing his tough skin. He managed to pluck it off, throwing it onto the floor.

He noticed a split pipe to his right and, with a quick gesture, bent it towards the spider as steam blew outwards. The steam swept it off its legs and into the wall. "Got ya!" he exclaimed in relief. But his victory was short-lived as the arachnoid was back in action.

Junko squeaked in fright as he headed for the sliding doors. As he saw the spider pursuing after him, he ran outside to the lower deck corridors where he bumped into the circuit boards, electrocuting him to a crisp.

Charred but unhurt, Junko noticed the lights wavering as they crackled off. He looked behind him to see a damaged circuit board, telling him that every single room in the Condor was down. "Oh, no! The Condor is in a blackout and it's all my fault!"

The wallop's stomach rumbled again. "Be quiet!" he shushed.

But it already gave him away. Delilah had found him and, realizing that the lights were no more, hissed in satisfaction. Junko whimpered, trapped onto the wall with no escape.

There was crashing above him. Junko looked up, alarmed by the noise. _Is it the others…?_

He didn't have time for an answer. Instead, he yowled as Delilah caught him in her web.

**_..._**

"Hang on, Junko!" Aerrow swerved to his left, his energy blades brimming with blue light. His face both showed fear and determination, as he gritted his teeth. He already lost Piper to the spider. He wasn't going to lose Junko now.

He found the open hatch on the floor which led to the lower decks of the ship. Not bothering to use the hatchway ladder, Aerrow hopped in, hurriedly dashing to the engine room. The corridors of the lower decks were more menacing than the upper levels, mainly because the lights installed here were very faint and dim in comparison.

He arrived at the right hallway, but froze on the spot. He sheathe his blades to his back, his pupils dilated with shock.

Right at the end of the corridor was a petrified Junko, encased in the same purple web. He had held his meaty hands in defense, his face truly frightened. Aerrow ran to him in worry as he observed his flight engineer. Junko had his mouth open, which Aerrow guessed was the wallop's second attempt to scream. Even so, Aerrow didn't understand. Not only did the Sky Knight's eyes widen with shock, but with confusion. Piper had been attacked by Delilah just minutes after Stork found her, and now Junko was supposedly attacked by the same spider in a matter of seconds? Just how fast was this spider?!

Aerrow shook his head. Before he found Stork with Piper, he was in the corridor near the hatch. If Delilah was making her way to the engine room, why hadn't Aerrow encountered her? Did she find another way? The Sky Knight bit his lip in thought when he shifted his gaze to the circuit board behind Junko. It looked as though it had been hit with a strong force, a force Aerrow wouldn't imagine to be Delilah's. That could only mean that it was Junko who crippled the light system.

That didn't clear up Aerrow's original question. Instead, it only lingered in his mind, unanswered.

He sighed. It would have to wait. Right now, his first priority was to get Junko away from any more danger. As Aerrow turned towards him, he realized that there was no way he could haul the cumbersome wallop, especially up the ladder and out of the hatch. That left the option of keeping him safe in one other place, one place that was situated at the lower decks, one where he knew his sharpshooter could protect him.

"Don't worry, Junko. I'll come back for you." Aerrow was headed for a new destination. "I've just got to make a quick trip to the hangar bay!"

But he stopped as he heard a snarl coming from the other end of the corridor. Aerrow flinched, drawing his two energy blades and clutching onto them tightly. Something was there.

_**...**_

Stork grinned at the photos he took. He quite liked the 'beautiful aesthetic sensibilities' that Piper and Radarr both contained, seemingly ignoring the fact that his deadly pet was the one that caused it. After one last glance at the glossy photos he hid them in his drawer, knowing they'd be furious if they found out about them. Besides, the pictures would be great for blackmailing purposes.

Stork adjusted his ducky floater. While he'd only been there for a minute, there was still no sign of a petrified Junko arriving at his door. He wondered if Aerrow had been attacked too, but that was unlikely.

"Alright, I can do this. I can go out and face the terrifying demise awaiting me." He hesitantly stepped outside of his quarters. While the doors had to be manually opened from the outside, from the inside they could automatically open. He awkwardly chuckled. "No biggie."

As the doors behind him closed shut, he heard a faint noise to his left. Stork briefly squealed, backing to the wall. He was sure it was his dear spider.

"Wait." he paused for a moment. "If Delilah is there, then that means that Junko really is... or, wait, maybe he just got away. Yeah, he got away. GAH, stop talking to yourself!"

The sound was now louder, as though numerous items dropped to the floor. Stork recognized the sounds they made. Clinking. Which meant crystals. Stork knew it meant that Delilah was in Piper's darkroom for crystal nurturing. He also knew that it was out of bounds for the rest of the squadron, as stated by the crystal expert herself.

"Well, I guess she won't notice."

After warily checking his surroundings the pilot tiptoed through the corridor. The noise had gone quiet, and he was sure that the spider had gotten herself caught with a slimer crystal, or whatever. He finally arrived there, but only after noticing a trail of beetroot-red powder lined on the floor. He slid his finger across it as he inspected it further. "This is the powder I use to repel yellow-legged-soot-flies..."

He slowly entered the darkroom, nudging his night-vision goggles. "So far so good." The room was filled with various crystals sorted into different containers, may which have been toppled over the shelves. Having never seen the inside before, Stork took a moment to admire the different crystals.

That was until a crate creak slowly to his right, causing the Merb to take defensive action. After grabbing another critter net bomb from his pocket he observed around. Despite the faint light of the crystals, they did very little in terms of illumination. Stork had to squint further. "Delilah?"

There was a sudden growl behind him. Stork ran forward in a frenzy, bumping into the table where Piper did her crystal experiments. He knew arachnids were silent, but they weren't _that_ much of a ninja. The pilot stared straight at it, a manic smile twitching on his face. He saw Delilah, the hairy-legged spider with the mesmerizing eyes of indigo, the scarlet maw of her mouth, her well-sharpened cuspids and molars, as well as her hideous body... It was like seeing a goddess.

Stork snapped out of it. He shook his head. "No, no time for admiration... it's time for _capture_!"

He threw the critter bomb directly at her, grinning evilly. But his smirk soon disappeared when he saw the spider dodged in a split second, landing on a pile of blue floater crystals. In an instant the spider was shot upwards with incredible speed, courtesy of the floater crystals. Stork watched with awe, and with an idea. _If I can utilize the crystals to my advantage..._

"But how?" The pilot knew he was no expert when it came to the field, but there was no other option. Delilah was too fast. He had to slow her down, just so he could catch her...

"Wait, I remember a crystal that Piper had... what was it? Something to do with the Levia-thing... Paralyser crystals!" He chuckled, surveying the darkroom. "They're red- no, blue!" While Delilah was temporarily stationary in the air, Stork was ransacking the place for light-blue crystals.

He finally found them slouching in a burlap sack. Remembering Piper's UPCHUC rule (surprise, surprise), Stork snatched a a pair of tongs from Piper's desk, daintily picking up a crystal. He turned around for a quick check. Delilah had jostled out of the floater range and instead landed on Piper's crystal microscope, growling at her master. Stork smirked in a dark, pseudo-evil fashion.

"I've got ya, you little beaut."

* * *

Side-note: Did I go a bit too OC on Stork? Anyway, I had to use a _lot_ of references about crystals and the Condor's rooms t.T But I'm still happy about this chapter. If you've got some ideas or some worries, feel free to review. I got 30 views so far so thanks people =D

And yes, it's starting to get a bit strange. Delilah seems to be at many places at one time, huh?

Reviews would be good, they're like the raisins on raisin toast. Each and every one contributes to the toast, even if they are optional!


	5. Paranoia King And His Trusty Sidekick

.:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:.**  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: Aerrow is off to save Junko, and I've got Delilah under control.

Bad News: Both Radarr and Piper have been immobilized and I still don't know if Finn is still alive...

* * *

Stork hurled the paralyser crystal at Delilah. The spider took a moment to hiss before leaping away. The crystal bumped into Piper's microscope instead, to Stork's disappointment. He forgot to factor one thing- how was he going to paralyse Delilah when she was like lightning?

Stork began looking around the room, trying to remember the crystal manual Piper had given the squadron 'just in case'. It was hopeless, really. The pilot never bothered to open the book in the first place.

He saw a ferocious Delilah jumping at him. With a quick move he ducked, causing the spider to instead fall on a pile of rainbow smoke crystals. Stork saw colorful smoke wafting out of the crystals, blinding the arachnoid. It was his chance. He plucked another paralyser crystal and flung it at the puff of rainbow smoke.

As the smoke cleared, Stork awaited for the petrified body of Delilah to emerge, all crippled up with her eight legs in the air. Instead, the spider leapt out of the crate and right in front of the Merb's feet. Stork squealed, frantically backing away. The paralyser crystal didn't work, or maybe he just missed. Either way, he still had a chance. The smoke from the crystals entered the arachnoid's eyes, blinding it to a state of hazy vision.

Stork bit his lip. The opportunity was sitting right there, screeching in confusion and hopping in anger. He shifted his gaze to the paralyser crystal.

No, he needed to make sure she was helpless. He turned to the crate of floater crystals sitting on the floor.

"_Perfect._"

He cautiously tiptoed back, giving a reasonable space between them. Stork kept a steady eye as he nudged a crate of crystals. Delilah twitched, hissing a tone of suspicion. She scuttled towards the sound, ever so slowly. Stork kept backing away, this time knocking another crate of crystals. Delilah growled but kept scuttling towards him. Stork grinned, as he stood in front of the floater crystal crate, kicking it lightly.

The spider snarled, finally leaping towards him. Stork quickly stepped to his right, causing Delilah to land on the floater crystals that were behind him. The spider was about to attack again when it suddenly felt a vibration on its legs. With a comical frown, the spider rushed upwards with the sudden power of the crystals, levitating in the air. Delilah was rendered immobile.

Stork took the pleasure of smirking as he held up the tong that had the paralyser crystal in its grasp. "Have a terrifying sleep."

_**...**_

"Dude, this is boring."

Finn leaned on the metal wall with his hands behind his head, wondering if the sneaky spider had already been caught. He knew he was missing all the fun-filled action especially when it'd been twenty minutes since the lights went out. Finn wondered if the others were bored already, seeing as how it was past midnight.

He seemed to have all the luck today, mainly because he hadn't seen Delilah anywhere. It was pretty understandable. The only way to access the hangar bay was through the bridge elevators that could also lead to the lower deck corridors, and the marksman underestimated the arachnoid's cleverness by comparing its brain to a Cyclonian.

He yawned, stretching his limbs. After all the spring cleaning and now this, all he wanted was a nice nap. But he still wanted to make sure that there wasn't any chance of an attack while he was sleeping, so he checked his comm link on his wrist and picked up Aerrow's signal.

"Hey, Aerrow," he spoke, staggering to his feet. "Did you catch Stork's spider yet? I want to take a nap but I'm scared it might bite me in my sleep or somethi-"

"=...Finn..!...=" replied the voice on the link. Finn couldn't understand the garble as the comm kept crackling. "Say that again, dude?"

"=need...elp...lilah...asin...afte...me...!...=" Aerrow's voice was drowned in white noise. Finn couldn't piece the the words together. "Hey, Aerrow! You okay?" The comm link was just emitting white noise, nothing else being transmitted. Finn sighed in disgust at the comm link. "What's with this thing?! Didn't Stork already fix the receptor-thingies?"

He began to worry. Aerrow had a frantic tone in his voice, and even though Finn couldn't make out the words he was sure he heard 'lilah' in his leader's distress call. The marksman began pacing to and fro. "Lilah... Delilah?!" Finn freaked, wide-eyed. "Oh man, it's still loose and it's after Aerrow!"

He checked his comm link again. "Aerrow, hey Aerrow, I'm coming for you!" For once, the sharpshooter was serious. "What's your status now?"

Nothing but white noise. Finn gritted his teeth, shutting the comm link off. He grabbed the bag full of Stork's scarlet-maw-vampire-fang arachnoid capturing items and sped off to the hangar bay sliding doors. It's one thing for a spider to get loose in the Condor, but a _vampire_ spider?! Finn couldn't even imagine Aerrow turning into a statue just like Radarr.

"Wait, Radarr _is_ the only one petrified... is he?" The marksman hadn't considered the fact that his other team members might've been attacked by Delilah too, and that _he_ might be the only one left.

"No, that couldn't be it. They should be perfectly fine!" Finn reassured himself. "Piper's got her crystals, Junko's got his fists, Stork's got his _crazy_ inventions and Aerrow's got guts! There's no need to worry!"

But as the sliding doors opened, Finn's eyes widened as he stared right past the double-entry elevator and at the end of the hallway.

_**...**_

Stork gleefully sauntered among the upper level corridors. His good mood was due to the fact that _he_ caught his own spider- and with wit too. Delilah was inside the burlap sack full of light-blue paralyser crystals, unable to move. Stork thought of the brilliant idea when he remembered that the effect only lasted for a short time.

He sighed, planning to dump Delilah in his room and go inform the others of his valiant capture. But being the proactive Merb he was, he decided to bring her along as proof. So with a proud stride and a wacky choice of attire he headed over to the lower decks. He climbed down the hatchway ladder, hummed while walking through the corridors and finally arrived at the engine room corridor.

Boy, did he yelp.

Stork dashed towards Junko, fear evident on his face. Even though he had grave expectations for the wallop, Stork nevertheless showed shock. Soon his mighty brain started buzzing some concerns. Aerrow had come to save Junko, but he was either too late or they were both attacked... but where was Aerrow then? Stork's forehead ached. He wasn't built for this detective stuff.

He noticed the circuit board behind Junko. "Huh, this looks like the work of Junko... or maybe Delilah's." He had the urge to repair it but with a steady sigh, he decided to go search for Aerrow.

"Um, Aerrow?" Stork warily walked through the corridors, clutching the bag of crystals tightly. "It's Stooork... If you're somewhere here than give.. me.. a.. sign...?"

There was a sudden thump. Stork squeaked in fright, jittering in the spot. "If that's you're idea of a _sign_ then, okay..." He continued walking, his head slowly sinking below his shoulders. There was another thump, but much sharper. Stork gulped, looking at the burlap sack. If Delilah was _here_, then what was _there_...?!

He arrived at a right turn. Stork was sure the 'something' was right around the corner. Clenching his fist, he mustered up his courage- which was wavering- and ran around the corner, yelling a manic battle cry. In an instant he deployed his critter bomb, not even sure what he was even doing.

"Hey, dude, what gives?!"

Finn fell rearward on the floor with a droll crash, the critter net draped over the blonde's baffled face. Upon realizing it was him, Stork let a little squeak with guilty yellow eyes. "Oh, um..." The pilot gave a gawky chuckle. "Sorry, Finn, I thought you were, um, something else..."

"Yeah, whatever, just get this thing off me!" Finn gritted his teeth in annoyance as he pulled on the latticed metal net. Stork crouched down to help, but instead of yanking on the net itself he reached for the net's suctions, which were the reason for its super restraining ability. After Stork pulled all five off, Finn immediately shoved the net to one side as he hastily stood up.

"So, um, why're you out here?" Stork was being frank. "_Aren't you_ supposed to be at the hangar bay?"

"Well, I was and it was really boring there," Finn replied with a casual opening, "But I got a distress call from Aerrow and I had to check if he was alright."

"Wait, when?" The Merb was growing paranoid, but curious. Finn looked at him as though Stork wanted answers for questions that were completely useless, and he was partially right. "Just fiive minuute_s_ agooo." Finn answered slowly. "Why're you asking?"

Stork gulped. Aerrow went after Junko just, what, sixteen minutes ago? And now the Sky Knight seemed to be in trouble just five minutes ago, which meant that he left Junko stranded in front of the engine room to...

"To what?" Stork muttered to himself, his lime finger resting on his cheek. "To search, or to check? Or maybe to chase..."

"Uh, Stork?" Finn noticed the Merb's eye twitch. Stork finally lost his train of thought, figuring that it was a waste of time. "Huh? Oh, I was just wondering about stuff... yeah." He quickly changed the topic. "We should go find Aerrow before he runs into his doom."

"Actually, we don't have to." The marksman's glacial blue eyes looked down in woe, as Stork blinked in puzzlement. Finn rubbed his arm awkwardly as he faced his teammate. "He already ran into it."

_**...**_

Aerrow stood at the corner with a motionless body, a purple web enveloping him. His hands were thrust forward in a defensive position much like Junko's. The only difference was that Aerrow seemed to be stopping something on the ground, since his hands were below his chest. Stork couldn't believe that his leader had fallen into the pit of doom so soon. Finn felt the same way, and there was a momentary silence between the two.

"I just can't believe that it got Aerrow." Finn broke the placid silence. "I always thought that he'd be the last one, you know, still moving."

Stork bit his lip as he nodded in agreement, ignoring Finn's error in pronoun. Even though the paralysis would eventually wear off, Stork couldn't help but wonder how even Aerrow fell to his temporary demise.

"What's worse is that he's the first one!" Finn continued, facing Stork with a face full of disbelief. It was then that he noticed his pilot looking distraught, something the blonde wouldn't notice until now. "Stork... is something wrong?"

Stork hesitantly replied. "I should tell you that, uh, Aerrow... is actually the fourth one."

Finn's eyes widened. "Wait, what do you mean? Are you saying that Piper and Junko have been...?!"

"Yeah." Stork nodded. "They have."

Finn took this news badly as he stuttered in surprise. "So you're saying that I've been holed up in the hangar bay for, what, an hour?!" His tone grew blatant. "And all the others are just like Radarr?!"

"Calm down!" Stork grew even more distraught in dealing with a jiggy sharpshooter. "I know it's kinda hard to believe that we're the only ones left but it's not like they've died... yet!"

Upon hearing his (unconvincing) words, Finn gradually quelled his anger as he looked at the pilot. Despite all the chaos that was ensuing the whole squadron, Stork seemed to be less... irrational and frenetic than his usual self. Now he was more composed and... unfazed.

Cool as a cooking crystal in a cooler.

"...Then what should we do?" He asked him candidly. "Your 'Delilah' is still in the Condor waiting for us."

"You're right." Stork replied, taking a look inside the sack. He inspected the spider inside for a while, coming to a conclusion that was more-or-less peculiar. "If she isn't in here, then she must be out there."

Finn furrowed his eyebrows. He didn't even pay attention to the sack Stork was grasping on in the first place. "What do you mean?"

"My yellow-legged-soot-fly powder repellant in front of the crystal darkroom." The Merb had zoned out, mumbling his thoughts out loud. "There's only one place where that could've come from."

"Uh, Atmos to Stork?" Finn brazenly waved a hand in front of Stork's face. "Mind explaining your mumbo-jumbo to me?"

But the blonde's hand was smacked away as Stork emerged with an affable grin on his face. "No time for that, Finn. We need to make a trip to the storage room."

* * *

Side-note: Were the hints too confusing? Was the chit-chat too idle? Or was the suspense toned too high? Anyway, I'm just glad that I got to end on a cliff-hanger. Next chapter is the chapter where your questions will be answered! Where is Delilah? Will Stork and Finn solve this mystery? How will they get Junko and Aerrow to the upper levels? Stay tuned...

Reviews would be great, they're like the croutons in soup. Each and every one contribute to the soup, even if they are optional!


	6. It's Been Fun, But We Gotta Run

.:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:..:-=*'*=-:.**  
**

**Disclaimer - I do not own Storm Hawks. They are property of Nerd Corps and CEO Asaph Fipke.**

Stork's Log:

Good News: I know where Delilah is =D

Bad News: Radarr, Piper, Junko and Aerrow are all out =D while Finn and I will do a bit of recon in the storage room where Delilah could possibly attack us =D

* * *

"I can't believe that actually worked."

Finn put his hands on his hips, sighing in relief. Even though he was doubtful at first, he actually thought the whole process was ingenious. Back at the lower decks, it was a hassle just trying to figure out a way to transport Junko and Aerrow back to the safety of Stork's room. That was until the pilot himself thought of a solution involving the bridge elevators and Piper's floater crystal crate.

"So, what now?" Finn was watching Stork nudge Aerrow in line with the rest of the petrified team, who first shocked Finn when he first walked in the door. The Merb was grinning with delight as he finished his masterpiece. "Well, we go to the storage room, of course."

"You think it- I mean, _she_- could be there?" Finn questioned. Stork looked at him knowingly. "Of course. She's been there all along."

The marksman raised an eyebrow. Stork was too happy with himself, which seemed suspicious for the usual person who would chicken out at the mere mention of 'recon'. But Finn shrugged, assuring himself that it might be due to the fact that Delilah was in Stork's personal turf. Nevertheless, he still had questions.

"So, what was in that bag you were carrying?" Finn asked, pointedly looking over to the bag that was sitting on the desk. Stork was busy adjusting his ducky floater and his goggles. "That? It's a bag of Piper's paralyser crystals. Before I came searching for Aerrow I managed to catch Delilah." He glanced at him. "Apparently, it wasn't Delilah that I caught, but another spider."

"Wait. You're saying there's _another_ spider?!" Finn looked baffled. "Are you sure you didn't catch a figment of your imagination?"

Stork glared at him. "I'm _positive_ it's another spider. Besides, there's no other explanation for why Aerrow was attacked just minutes after I caught this 'Delilah'."

"Are you sure you're not going crazy?" Finn looked at him like he was a mental case. Stork was never positive. In fact, if Stork married the word positive, Terra Zartacla would be _nothing_ in comparison to the hell the whole team would have to endure without their own 'doom radar'.

The Merb glared at him again, disgusted with the marksman's straightforwardness. "Yeah. I am."

Finn looked unconvinced. "You may want to take another go at that, buddy. If you think that your spider is in the storage room then I'm going to need some proof."

"My yellow-legged-soot-fly powder repellant."

Finn blinked. "What?"

"My yellow-legged-soot-fly powder repellant." Stork repeated. "I found traces of it in front of the crystal darkroom, the same place where I caught the fake Delilah." He looked at him with two yellow eyes. "No doubt that it was _that_ _spider_ who created the trail." He sighed. "And if there's any place on the Condor where yellow-legged-soot-fly powder repellant can be found, it's the storage room."

Finn took a moment to blink at his teammate's evidence. It actually made... sense. In some crazy, detective way.

"Alright, alright, I believe you! But that's just a theory, okay? We're just going there for some scouting."

"Right." Stork nodded, handing Finn a stack of marksman's arrows that differed from the usual projectiles Finn would use. "Here. These are Critter Net Arrows. They deploy faster than the bombs and they have an 88% chance of working."

"What's with the other 12%?" Finn queried, examining the arrows. Stork chuckled, grinning with a streak of loco. "Possible backfire on the shooter."

_**...**_

"Well, here we are."

The two stood before the doors of the storage room, prepared for an eight-legged onslaught. Stork clutched on a flamethrower that he kept under his bed (in case there was a man-eating yeti assault) while Finn held up his crossbow equipped with the critter net arrows. Both were calm, but there was still a slight tension in the air, as though Delilah could attack at any moment, at any place, and at any one of them.

It was Stork who made the first move. With a cautious step, he walked to the doors as they slid open, Finn soon following suit. But they stopped as Stork flinched, as there were thick, viscous strands fully covering the opening. The pilot proceeded to poke it, realizing that it must be Delilah's because it was hard as warm candle wax, and purple too.

"She's definitely here."

They continued on, cracking the hardened web away. Finn brushed the sticky threads off his blonde hair, grimacing when he saw the web stuck on his fingers. It was dark inside as Stork flicked on a flashlight, searching for an upturned crate or yellow-legged-soot-fly repellant on the floor. Finn was looking to his side, unaware that he was closing in on the pilot. As he took another step, he bumped face-first into Stork, causing them to fall down on the floor.

"Finn, I should tell you that _this_ is _not_ the time for any _funny business_!" Stork clenched his hand in annoyance. Finn lay on the floor with a sheepish grin plastered on his face. "Sorry, dude."

The pilot shook his head in abhorrence as he searched for the flashlight that had fallen out of his hand. He crawled to a metal shelf after seeing a faint glow near it, but it was just out of his reach. Stork strained his skinny arm underneath as he felt the flashlight being nudged away by his fingers.

"Um, Stork?" Finn tapped on the Merb's shoulder. Stork merely brushed him off. "Wait, I've almost got it."

"No, seriously dude, you better look here. Now." Finn was eyeing him persistently. Stork felt the flashlight again, ignoring his teammate's words. Now Finn's eyes were darting left and right, tugging on his shoulder. Stork rolled his eyes as he faced Finn with an irritated scowl. "WHAT?!"

But his angry face disappeared when he finally looked to where the blonde was pointing. It was faint, but he could make out small furry silhouettes dangling from the ceiling, crawling from the shelves and cascading down the metal wall. Webs suddenly appeared around the room, wrapping crates and other stored items in its sticky grasp. Finn and Stork quivered in the spot, realizing the cause of the attacks. It wasn't Delilah. No, it was something else.

With a quick gesture Stork pulled the flashlight from under the shelf and waved it in front of them. His face squeaked in fright as he saw them.

A plethora of hairy, indigo-eyed, scarlet-mawed vampire spiders. No, _baby spiders_.

"So, you said that Delilah was here, right?" Finn asked, sounding unconvinced but panicked. "So what are those?!"

But Stork didn't answer. He was more focused on everything that happened, like why the four teammates had been attacked so quickly. The yellow-legged-soot-fly powder. The fake spider from the darkroom. How Aerrow was taken down so easily. "It was all because of these baby spiders...!"

"But where did they come from?" His aching head didn't want to do this now, but he knew the answer. "Delilah... she's...!"

"Here?!" Finn shook Stork and pointed at an alarmingly big figure emerging from a crate. Startled, Stork shone the light at it as he noticed the baby spiders scuttling towards it as though it was a holy deity. As the figure climbed out, Stork instantly knew who it was.

Delilah.

She was much fatter, and meaner too. Stork couldn't believe it at first that his dear spider had grown bigger, while Finn was just cowering in a corner with his crossbow tingling at his shaky grip. Delilah seemed to notice the two and, with a frightening scuttle, opened her mouth to reveal her scarlet jaw, her sharpened cuspids and canines, as well as the rumble that erupted from her belly.

She was hungry and roaring. Stork and Finn saw the baby spiders crowding before them, possibly hungry as well. The two exchanged frightened looks as they turned back to the large arachnoid. She wasn't going to chase them. Her children would.

"Uh, Finn," Stork whispered to his ear.

"... Yeah?"

"Run."

Without hesitation, they stood up and stormed out of the room, daring not to look back at the eight-legged pursuers behind them. Finn looked at his pilot expectantly. "So, what's the plan!?" Stork bit his lip. "Actually, running away _was_ the plan. But I get what you mean!"

As they ran through the corridors with a flood of spiders after them, Stork thought of another plan, a plan that could be called cowardly but smart. He urged Finn to swerve to his right, making way to the squadron's quarters. Finn looked at him in puzzlement but Stork just pointed onwards. But the spiders behind them were catching up. Stork turned his flamethrower on and thrust it at the creatures, burning them. "There. Now _that_ should keep them at bay."

They arrived in front of the Merb's room. Stork quickly searched for the two wires to open the door while he ordered Finn to keep the spiders away. Finn fired the critter arrows, successfully snaring a few. Stork finally opened the door and grabbed Finn inside as the doors closed in time.

The two were plain exhausted. Stork was glad that he was safe- completely ignoring Finn, of course- and evaded his potential doom. For now they didn't speak, but knew what had to be done. The problem was how it would be done.

"So," Finn opened up, leaning on the wall. "What now?"

"We somehow get the spiders off the Condor and catch Delilah."

"I know that," the marksman said in his usual fashion, "But how do we do it?"

Stork took a moment to think. He was no expert at plans, but he _was_ an expert at getting rid of dangerous infestations. And by getting rid, he meant total extinction.

"Alright, this is the plan."

* * *

Side-note: AARGH! Sorry for the wait. Normally I would have this done but I had a break *facepalm* But I wanted to get his done for you folks because I won't be writing for a while. Thank you to my reviewers =) and yes, I will have this story done before I post up another fanfic (it's a policy).

Thank you to all who have read the story but haven't reviewed. It's nice that people are still reading it 6,,,6

Reviews would be great, they're like the croutons in soup. Each and every one contribute to the soup, even if they are optional!


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